Morrow Making Waves for the Mariners

Too many times in recent years, the Seattle Mariners'
first-round draft picks have arrived with predictions of greatness that
went unfulfilled.

Remember pitcher Ryan Anderson (1998)? Arm problems derailed him, as
did his work ethic, and he's now a chef.

The Mariners gave up on catcher Ryan Christianson (1999), who's
still a minor leaguer trying to make it with the Cardinals.

Infielder Michael Garciaparra (2001) and outfielder Adam Jones
(2003) continue to develop in the Mariners' minor league system
with high hopes, although no clear projection of when they'll
become productive major leaguers. Many believe catcher Jeff Clement
(2005) will make an impact in the majors before any of them.

None, however, may get there faster than a pitcher who hasn't
put in a full minor league season — Brandon Morrow.

The Mariners' first-round pick in 2006 — the fifth overall
selection in the draft — has appeared twice in exhibition games
this month and overwhelmed hitters both times. With a fastball that
touches 97 mph and a split-finger pitch that keeps hitters mystified,
Morrow has retired all nine he has faced, including six Saturday to
close out the Angels in the Mariners' 10-4 victory.

"He's got the kind of ability that he could be ready to pitch
in the big leagues fairly quickly," said Mariners manager Mike
Hargrove, who doesn't hand out praise, or expectations, often.

Why is Morrow just now showing that he can handle professional
hitters? Where has he been since draft day last June?

Basically, the 22-year-old right-hander has been getting his arm
back in shape after a turbulent year. He experienced the joy of turning
pro, the uncertainty of contract negotiations and the month-long layoff
after the college season, and he pitched only 16 innings last
summer.

That's all in addition to dealing with the burden that comes
from being a first-round pick.

"I've never been a first-rounder, but it's got to be some
kind of hard," said Pat Rice, the Mariners' minor league pitching
coordinator. "You have the expectations of whoever drafted you, along
with your own expectations, along with the city of Seattle's
expectations. And you're trying to figure out where you fit in all
of that. It's got to be unbelievably hard."

Making it harder was the disruption that the last year became for
Morrow.

He went 7-4 with a 2.05 earned run average last year at the
University of California and was a finalist for the Roger Clemens Award
as college baseball's top pitcher.

However, he went 21 days between his final two college starts and,
after the Mariners drafted him in early June, he didn't pitch
again for a month as he and the club negotiated a contract.

When the Mariners sent Morrow to their rookie-level team in Peoria,
his arm wasn't ready.

"I didn't really work out, and that was a problem," he said. "I
should have paid more attention to that. But the college season is
long, almost like having four months of spring training because you
start in September but you don't play any games until the
beginning of February."

It was no surprise that Morrow experienced soreness and tightness in
his arm not long after he turned pro. The Mariners had envisioned him
pitching at high Class A Inland Empire, but he remained in Peoria and
pitched seven games there as he regained his arm strength.

"He just had to start all over," Rice said. "We just decided that if
we didn't get a whole lot done, that was fine. We'd just
start over next year."

It wasn't a completely lost season. Morrow made one start at
Inland Empire the final week of the season and pitched three perfect
innings, striking out four.

"It was good to get a little experience in a real game environment
instead of rookie ball, which is more like an intrasquad game than
anything else," Morrow said..

Morrow, born in Santa Rosa, Calif., now lives in Peoria and spent
much of the past winter working out with other Mariners who live here.
That became invaluable experience, because those players — among
them closer J.J. Putz — taught Morrow the discipline it takes to
reach the highest level.

Morrow, quiet and unassuming off the mound, doesn't talk about
his major-league aspirations or the chance that he could be pitching
there soon. After all, he has barely experienced pro ball at any
level.

"Just all the traveling is going to be a big difference," he said.
"You don't get to spend five days at home like in college and go
out and play for the weekend and come back. I need to get used to the
five-day rotation.

"I don't have any goals as to where I want to get to or how
many wins I want this year. I just want to pitch well and stay
healthy."

Three weeks remain before the regular season begins, and it's
rare for a young pitcher to remain this effective as hitters improve
their timing. But so far, no Mariners pitcher has put up the numbers or
looked as impressive as Morrow.

He probably will pitch at Class AAA Tacoma this year, a big step up
from what he was doing last year, but the Mariners are confident he can
handle it. And while nobody is willing to say it out loud, the M's
aren't sure Morrow would be overmatched at the major league
level.

"I don't think there's any doubt he can pitch at the
Triple-A level," Rice said.